1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a slidably fitting type connector in which a slide member is slidably movable reciprocally in fitting and detaching directions of multi-pole female and male connector housings, both the connector housings are easily fitted to each other and detached from each other due to the leverages of two levers which are pivoted by sliding the slide member with a small operation force.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 9-172441, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 6A and 6B show an example of a lever type connector 1 which utilizes leverage. The lever type connector 1 includes a multi-pole female connector housing 2. A slide groove 4 is formed in the frame supporting portion 3 of the female connector housing 2. A slide shaft 6 projects from one lower end side of a frame-shaped lever 5, and is slidably supported in the slide groove 4. Further, a pair of male connector housings 7 and 7 that are fittable to and detachable from the female connector housing 2 are pivotally supported by a shaft 8 within the frame-shaped lever 5.
Both connector housings 2 and 7 are fitted to and detached from each other by vertically moving a lever operating portion 9 that projects from the other upper end side of the lever 5 so that the lever 5 pivots with the slide shaft 6 as a fulcrum. Incidentally, the technique similar to the lever type connector 1 is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei. 6-79080 and so forth.
In the above-mentioned conventional lever type connector 1, however, when the male connector housings 7 are fitted into the female connector housing 2 in a narrow mounting space or the like where the female connector housing 2 can not be seen, for example, a person is required to grope for positioning the slide shaft 6 serving as a fulcrum of the lever 5 at the slide groove 4 of the frame supporting portion 3 of the female connector housing 2 and to insert into and engage with the slide groove 4. Such an operation requires skilled operation and so the fitting operation of the male and female connector housings 2, 7 may be troublesome. Furthermore, since the slide shaft 6 and the lever operating portion 9 are protruded at the both sides of the lever 5 supporting the male connector housings 7, the entire size of the lever type connector 1 becomes large. Furthermore, due to the external load force or the like, the slide shaft 6 of the lever 5 may come out of the slide groove 4 of the frame supporting portion 3, and the slide shaft 6 and the lever operating portion 9 protruded at the both sides of the lever 5 may be broken.